This invention relates to an automatic accompaniment playing device and, especially, to such device which can change the tempo of rhythm accompaniment in the middle of its performance.
An example of such automatic accompaniment playing device is disclosed in the Japanese patent opening gazette No. S57-100487. When a "ritardando" switch is actuated in this device while a rhythm accompaniment is played, the tempo of the accompaniment is gradually reduced or retarded and, when the tempo drops below a predetermined level, the accompaniment is automatically suspended. Another example of similar automatic accompaniment playing device is disclosed in the Japanese utility model opening gazette No. H2-85496. In this device, variation patterns such as fill-in pattern and ending pattern are stored in addition to normal patterns and, when the variation patterns are selectively accessed by pattern selection switches and a "ritardando" switch is then pushed while a normal rhythm pattern is played, the accompaniment is played in a rhythm of a selected variation pattern upon completion of the normal pattern and, at the same time, a ritardando effect is applied to the tempo of its rhythm and, upon completion of the variation pattern, the normal rhythm of the original tempo is recovered. The improved device disclosed in the Japanese utility model opening gazette No. H2-85497 is arranged to enable arbitrary insertion of a rhythm of a variation pattern provided with a ritardando effect in the middle of a normal rhythm accompaniment.
However, these prior art devices have such a disadvantage in that their ritardando patterns are fixed and the width of variation and time rate of variation of the tempo cannot be changed arbitrarily.